


Flowey, Do You Remember Love?

by ManOfChocolate



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: And plenty of fluff, But he's trying, Childhood Love, Established Alphys/Undyne, Flirty Frisk, Flowey Is A Dick, Flowey is boyfriend material, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, He's trying so hard, Houseplant Flowey, Mentor Papyrus, OR IS IT, Other, Post-Pacifist Route, Selectively Mute Frisk, Tsundere Flowey, Wrong Conclusion, rivalries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-06-10 18:44:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6969736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManOfChocolate/pseuds/ManOfChocolate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Undyne and Alphys' wedding on the horizon, Flowey realizes something he had been completely ignorant about, even since he left the Underground. The way they smile at him, laugh with him, console him and spoil him rotten, all point to only one possible explanation:</p><p>Frisk is in love with him. This is totally a fact.</p><p>Armed with this obvious knowledge, Flowey embarks upon a personal journey, to overcome his soulless limitations and be the best boyfriend material Frisk could ever ask for. Now if he could only stop being a gigantic jerk all the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Why would I?

It took quite some time, before Frisk's hard work and determination paid off. Endless treks back into the bowels of Mt. Ebott, internal compass guiding them towards the Ruins. And there he was, waiting amidst a bed of golden flowers. Similar, yet nothing like those other plants. He continued to shoulder the burden of knowledge all by his lonesome, feigning a mix of annoyance and exasperation whenever the little tapping of shoes got within earshot. Still, they continued to visit, week after week, just as the comfortably dark pit of misery would swallow them up. After a while, he found himself at the very least appreciative of the way their stubbornness matched his own.

It took months, before Flowey was willing to move from his self-appointed exile.

And by the looks of it, teaching him proper manners would take several years.

Frisk clasped their hands with excitement, opening up the almost shockingly gaudy letter. Flowey peeked aside from the magazine he was looking at, only to feel a very familiar sense of disgust, with a side order of dread. The multitude of anime avatars with over-sized weapons made the senders fairly clear and just about every time Frisk received a letter of this caliber, he was looking forward to something monumentally embarrassing.

He still had nightmares about that 'convention' they dragged him off to.

Still, curiosity was definitely an emotion he wasn't lacking. Hampered in motion by his accursed stationary prison once again, he extended his stem as much as possible, trying to sneak a better peek. Frisk noticed him out of the corner of their eye and pushed the envelope closer, so he wouldn't have to struggle.

A bit of parchment slid out from its container, although it look surprisingly worn. A cursory look immediately revealed it was handwritten, probably by both monsters. It was easy to separate Undyne's hasty scribbles and several minor tears, from Alphys' meticulous calligraphy. The actual point of the message quickly made Frisk's eyes go wide and Flowey's droop:

**Listen up, punk!**  
_Undyne and I have been together for some time now. Lots of laughs, smiles and beautiful months have passed._  
**So we thought it's 'bout time we took it to the next level!**  
_We're proud to announce that we're getting ~~mrr marrei mer maar~~_  
**MARRIED!! ALPHYS AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED!!**  
_And, since you've been such an enduring and faithful friend to us both._  
**You get to operate the flower cannon ;3**  
_(Undyne means be our bridesmaid.)_  
**(THEY KNOW)**  
_In any case, we hope you can make it._  
**'Cause I'll drag you here if you forget!**  
_Please, feel free to visit us anytime._  
**And maybe you'll get a sneak peak at your dress, too!**

_**Thank you for being a part of our lives.** _

_**With love,** _  
_Undyne & Alphys_  
**Alphys/Undyne**

Frisk gasped loudly, overwhelmed by the joyful news. Flowey felt the same way, though unlike the giggling, excited Frisk, he was busy retching. This development surely promised months and months of disgustingly sweet meetings and a wedding he couldn't imagine ending any other way, than legendarily infamous. He read through the whole thing once again, still making mock-repulsed noises almost constantly.

The human shot him a glare, eyes hidden under their rapidly growing hair. Gone was the dorky cut, the 'unkempt cavehuman' was in right now. Instead of a loud reprimand, they merely raised their hand and pulled at Flowey's closest petal, like the ear of a petulant child.

"Ow, ow, let go!" he whined.

He got his wish as Frisk only pulled for another second, before letting go. Flowey puffed his cheeks in his grumpiness, still feeling the dull ache from their little disciplinary action. Their smile quickly returned though, the more they looked at the invitation. Frisk reached into the drawer and leaned back, now armed with a thumbtack. They attached the invitation to the billboard over their desk, squeaking with happiness.

"Oh come on, stop gushing!" he grumbled. "Why are you so excited, anyway?"

Frisk frowned and put their hands on their waist, giving Flowey their best look of absolute disbelief. He just tilted his head, raising a brow with incredulity. A show of hands followed the staredown, as Frisk positioned their fingers in the shape of a heart, pointing it towards Flowey.

"For the love of... it's just a wedding!" he argued.

They pushed the heart closer.

"It'll be nothing, but crying and sappy music!"

The heart approached even closer, its creator grunting.

"I bet we won't even get any cake!"

Frisk's finger-heart quickly overtook is entire vision.

"Okay, okay, fine." he groaned. "The power of heart compels me..."

Frisk put out their tongue, already knowing this little trick of his. Flowey was a very sore loser and would only pretend like he gave up, while learning absolutely nothing from the ordeal. Worst of all, he always looked so smugly confident of himself when he did it, too. There was a hidden agenda for this sudden change of heart, Frisk would have bet on that.

"Can I have some sweets now?" he asked, trying his best to look cutesy, with the big eyes and wide, vacant smile. "Please?"

A couple tense moments had to pass, during which the fate of snacks was still up in the air. Flowey added a bonus of fluttering eyelashes, which finally made Frisk's resolve crumbled. They giggled and reached up into a box, carefully labeled _'I'VE BEEN A GOOD FLOWER'_. Grabbing onto a lollipop, they pulled it out and carefully unwrapped the treat. Before the flower could have voiced his complaint about the upcoming unnecessary action, Frisk stuck the sweet into his mouth.

A shade of red flushed through Flowey's cheeks, but the artificial blueberry flavor quickly subdued their annoyance.

"My child, can you please come down for a minute?" Toriel's voice made both of them flinch.

Rather than make her wait, Frisk quickly closed the box and left the room. Flowey happily munched on the lollipop, trying his best to hold in his strange plant-saliva. It was odd to have this many bodily functions as a simple flower, but he wasn't about to complain; not so long as he had enough sweets to keep him company.

The upcoming wedding didn't really bother him much. While the jury was out and would likely be forever out on Alphys, he really didn't have any significant issues with Undyne. He might have lacked the emotion to feel for their situation, but they did seem to be nice to each other and were definitely very close-knit. Their marriage would probably be similar, just with official backing, which was just an unnecessary hassle anyway.

Hell, if living together in harmony really needed any paperwork, he could very well have married Frisk by now.

The thought made him chuckle so hard, he had to use his leaves to grab the lollipop for a moment, otherwise he would have spat it out. It was no use, he just kept snickering to the thought of Frisk stumbling around in a long bridal gown. Perhaps he'd draw this later on, it would surely embarrass them enough to get a few more laughs out of it. He continued enjoying the yummy sweet, already grinning to himself at the prospect of this devilish plan.

Glancing up at the billboard, his eyes casually ran through all the different drawings. There was one depicting the first time Frisk brought him out of the Underground. Another where they almost had to take him back right away, as he voiced a number of complaints and was quickly getting on everybody's nerves. The next few showed all kinds of different pass-times together, from gardening (which, as Flowey explained, was more like learning survival skills), all the way to things such a wall-climbing (which he relentlessly cheated at, whenever he could).

There were so many drawings and photos scattered about, almost all of them featuring the two side-by-side.

"So many memories together..." he mused, taking a bite out of the slowly softening sweet.

A creeping feeling started pricking at the back of his mind, the more he looked at the photos and next to them, the ominous wedding invitation. Biting into the chewy gum filling, he felt his plant-throat tighten a little. He thought about just the past few minutes, as well as all the time they've spent together: him usually being a moody little jerk, and Frisk just taking it all in stride. 

More often than not, they easily laughed along with him, even if they were the butt of a given joke. And in the end, every time they argued or he did something wrong, the human would always soften up by the minute and spoil him rotten anyway. 

"Naive, but lovable idiot." he chuckled and shrugged, only to freeze up. "Oh. Oooh!!"

Flowey barely even noticed as he bit down on the lollipop's stick and was crunching the plastic with reckless abandon. Their eyes ran wide and their mouth dried up, the more their brain entertained a possibility he felt like he'd been purposely ignoring. It was hard to tell, though there was a very real chance he was correct. He cursed himself for not realizing the obvious fact much-much sooner.

"It all makes sense now..." he muttered, still not noticing the shredded stick. The conclusion was staggering and he needed a moment to just digest the big news:

Frisk was in love with him.

**Obviously.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying out something new this time. I've been far too lenient with my schedules and this will be the project that will force me to rectify that. Until further notice, this fic will update every 1-2 days, with about the same length. Let's see how long I can manage to keep this rolling!
> 
> Although a little barren, feel free to find me on Tumblr, at http://milkasingularity.tumblr.com/, I promise I don't bite unless you're made of chocolate!
> 
> Flowey may be more of a candy fan, but I definitely accept any form of chocolate available!


	2. Apparently Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey tries to make sense of the startling revelation.

The lonely lollipop stick fell on the table with a sad clack. With its sweet noggin fully devoured, it was tossed aside like a meager piece of plastic. Truthfully, it was just that, but for a few days on those store shelves, it was also a provider of sugar rushes, and a destroyer of teeth. It had power, it had influence, not just over biology, but wealth and the hearts of children. Robbed of this terrible power, it had truly nothing left in this world.

And had even less, when the frantic flower shoved it off to the floor.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh golly!" he whimpered, scrambling around. 

The familiar phrase made him pause and groan in frustration for a moment. Despite how much he tried to eliminate that word from his vocabulary, it proved much more difficult than expected. What was left of his range of emotions were raging like a tempestuous ocean, while he swayed side-to-side. The motion always made those watching a bit nervous as he resembled a living metronome, but it also helped calm his nerves ever-so-slightly. For the moment though, it helped precious little.

It's been a while since he'd been this anxious. It was not a feeling he missed.

Flowey never once considered the possibility of Frisk seeking more from him, than friendship, or even just mutually agreed-upon non-aggression. Even since he returned to this form, he just assumed the human sought his company in a vain attempt to make either of them feel better. That, or to swat away some phantom guilt they had no place in feeling. After all, they've done enough. Still, Frisk persisted until Flowey couldn't make any more excuses and not once did he really take the time to examine the whys and hows. 

Looking back at it, the signs were clear. All that affection, all those playful-to-serious talks the two had, those couldn't have been just a passing interest. It surely wasn't pity; that emotion never played part in Frisk's motivations towards him, he was sure of that. Compassion yes, but not pity. The phrase 'your best friend' couldn't have been said in jest. Yet in hindsight, the jump from 'petaled pal' to something more should have occurred to him much sooner.

How long has he been so ignorant? How long has Frisk been harboring these feelings for him? And how will he--

"Waah!!" Flowey cried out, flushing in deep red as his trail of thoughts were rudely interrupted by their very subject.

Frisk snickered, closing the door behind them. They winked and put the tip of their tongue out, mocking the embarrassed flower. Flowey swallowed and attempted the shadow of a smile, hoping he wasn't sweating bullets even now. They always did enjoy getting the jump on him, but he really wished they weren't in the room right now. He was in the middle of an episode of emotional turmoil, and having the cause and target of his predicament actively watching helped less than nothing.

"W-what did Toriel need?" he asked, trying his best to inject some bit of mockery, or an impatient edge into his voice. Not because he really felt like it, but he had to keep a low profile for the moment and being a bit of a jerk was a good baseline.

The child turned around and bent their knee, giving them just a little jump-start to slump into their bed with a satisfied moan. From their newest resting spot, they raised both hands and made a few quick signals.

"Groceries." Flowey confirmed, nodding several times in a row. 

He was rather thankful Frisk couldn't see them from that position. Flowey guessed he was still the person who heard them say the most words in a row, but they still weren't exactly the talkative kind even with him. Conversations tended to involve a lot more existing and made-up signs, lots of guesswork and amused chuckles upon mistakes. Not that he was bothered, since he admittedly did like the sound of his own voice. 

"Anything for me?" he continued, going for the mischievous approach.

The raised hand and the thumb pointed firmly downwards were quite disappointing.

The silence, even though it had barely lasted fifteen seconds, quickly became unbearable for Flowey.

"So uh... Frisk?" he mumbled, falling over his words. Frisk continued to hold their hands in their air, twirling fingers while they waited for Flowey to finish. He swallowed and hardened his gaze. Fear was pointless. He could do this. 

_Small talk mode activated._

"A-are we going to hang out somewhere? Today?" he was quickly getting annoyed of the sudden stuttering he gained. It felt like he was trying to imitate Alphys, except without even a hint of irony. "If you're done with... idiot stuff, I guess. We, I mean us?"

Flowey briefly noticed the MTT-brand alarm clock on the human's bed, the time clearly showing it was past 7 PM. Frisk had school in the morning and Toriel's curfews were absolutely no laughing matter. He glanced back to see Frisk had risen from their bed, looking at him with concern, as if he had just turned into a head of lettuce. 

_Small talk mode was disengaged and abandoned to burn._

They hopped off the bed with the same cutesy little jump and approached the nervous flower. The base of his petals matched his reddening cheeks. He was all the more alarmed, when they reached out for him, most likely in an attempt to pet him. He made it clear on many occasions that we was not for touching, which Frisk routinely pretended to just not hear.

"Hey, what are you--" he reeled back, dodging the likely headpat. "No touching the flower!"

Frisk frowned and reached out again, this time from a different angle. Flowey leaned to the right, evading the human's hand once more. If his mood were any worse, he would have attempted to bite at this point. 

"This flower is not for touching!" he protested loudly, a low growl rumbling from his stem. "Go away and pat yourself or something!"

They continued to try to no avail, as he avoided even the hand's very aura, swaying in every possible direction. He was conflicted enough already, and really detested the thought of getting another dose of their yucky, touchy affection.

_Wait. Affection?_

The momentary break in concentration was all it took. Frisk approached with their other hand from behind and caught Flowey's stem. They were gentle as always, but just firm enough to keep him from jerking around. Flowey shut his eyes tight, half-expecting a hug, a kiss or something of that nature, all of which Frisk was more than happy to dish out at any time. Instead, he just felt their touch on top of his head, still burning up from embarrassment.

"Hmm." Flowey heard them utter. Peeking up, he could see Frisk still looking rather concerned.

Flowey started pulling away again, but luckily they didn't have to fight hard to do that. Frisk let go and immediately headed out the door. The moment they were out of sight and of earshot, he allowed a deep sigh.

"Too close, too close..." he whined, wiping his head with a magically elongated leaf.

Less than an hour into this brand new situation and he was already mucking it up quite severely. The thought of having to deal with an emotion he couldn't even try to reproduce, was daunting. Small talk was definitely not his forte, he quickly had to realize that. The list of things he was genuinely good at was rather short, but that could still be changed, with a little effort.

Flowey steeled his tattered resolve, as they heard Frisk returning and with something rattling in their hands. While it might have been only enough for second place in this household next to the human, he still had tons of currently untapped determination to spare. He had all the power and all the will to go through with this. If anyone could make sense of this surely blossoming romance, it was him.

Believing in himself filled Flowey with determination.

* * *

Hardly anyone knew, but Frisk was quite the sloppy sleeper. Every single night, they would climb into a neatly made bed, courtesy of Toriel, and by morning it would appear no different from a war zone. To make matters worse, they often groaned and snored, alternating between the two if they really felt like it. This normally wouldn't have bothered Flowey all that much, as he could always just sink into the soil of his pot for a more soundproof environment. However, for once, that was a difficult think to do, thanks to the crushing weight pushing down upon him.

It wasn't the weight of his emotions, or lack thereof.

But the large ice pack, as Frisk thought he had gotten sick.

Flowey groaned, squirming under the all-encompassing barrier of cold. Admittedly, as the season changed to summer, this cold was indeed more and more welcome, balancing the steadily melting ice cubes proved rather uncomfortable in the long run. As the weight kept pushing the fuming flower right back into his pot, he came to a very significant conclusion.

He needed some expert assistance with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this fic really picked up some steam! Thank you for the kind words, seems like soulless or not, the cute little flower has its fans! Question is, who is this expert and will they be able to help our best friend?
> 
> Still a barren land of emptiness, but I more than welcome thoughts, critiques, or just a bright and cheerful "Howdy!" on my Tumblr, http://milkasingularity.tumblr.com/!
> 
> Take care, everyone!


	3. Not Without Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey seeks out a mentor to help him.

"Alright, here we are. This is the spot." 

Frisk quirked a brow, looking over their surroundings. The playground they were at was a familiar and fairly popular one, often with at least a dozen families frolicking and playing around the slightly old, but colorful and sturdy playground equipment. Frisk also liked spending time here, especially right after school to unwind and hang out with their friend from school. Shockingly, even Flowey took some enjoyment out of it, mainly by tormenting them on the merry-go-round upon request, or by boosting them on the swings. 

Shapeshifting vines definitely had their entertaining uses. However, this situation called for something entirely different.

Flowey glanced at the ground to find a suitable planting spot, only to feel his pot get pulled closer into Frisk's embrace. They let out a barely audible whine, unwilling to just leave him here like that. They still remembered how miserable Flowey was, holed up in the Ruins all alone. Even then, he tried to pretend like he didn't feel a thing, but no amount of pretense could have faked that lonesome form. It was not a sight they liked to recall.

"You're going to be late, Frisk." he said, the slightly harsh voice keeping them firmly in the present. There was a scowl on his face, but Frisk knew better than to think he really was mad. "I'll be fine here. I'm banned from school, remember?"

It would have been hard not to. They still had to sign paperwork every once in a while, several weeks after it happened. Truthfully, since Flowey almost demolished a classroom after a spitball suffered during show-and-tell, Frisk also had significantly less people giving them a hard time. Though they absolutely refused to honor Flowey's methods, they were definitely effective in their own right.

Rather than putting him down as requested, they motioned to their backpack, earning little more than a disgusted frown.

"And spend a whole day in that smelly thing?" he complained. "Absolutely not! Do you want me to shrivel up and die?"

There was that little whine again. The human could get so worked up about things like this. Flowey opened his mouth to double down, only to remember the situation he was dealing with now. Instead, he opted for a different direction.

"Besides, you'd get into trouble if I'm found and would you trust me to keep my mouth shut?"

This time, the reaction was snorted laughter. Flowey allowed himself a brief smirk. Compared to yesterday's failed attempt, this line worked just as planned.

The joke helped finally convince Frisk and they knelt down on a grassy patch, putting the pot plus flower aside. A brief rummaging through the admittedly messy backpack revealed a little gardening shovel, graciously borrowed from Asgore's expansive collection of tools. The soil was thankfully loose and it only took a few strikes to make a hole big enough for their needs.

"That looks fine." Flowey nodded, supervising their diligent work. 

Sighing, he got to work on the less-enjoyable part, loosening his roots up. He hissed a little, as no matter how often he changed from pot to real soil, the transfer was always rather uncomfortable. Once again, Flowey considered doing this more often, perhaps in Toriel's yard. He was really getting far too comfortable in his confined state.

"Alright, I think I'm good." he said, exhaling all the leftover air in him. Frisk nodded and reached out, gently grabbing him by the bottom of his stem. "Now, easy... easy... be careful!"

Flowey couldn't really even tell why, but he turned quite red as Frisk managed to pull him out. He had warmed up to the thought of living in a pot and he was perfectly fine in living soil. However, the in-between, that little bit of time in the air between the two, were some of the most frightening he could think of. His plant body would have survived in the open for a fairly long time and his magic was still there to keep him safe, but it was still the most dangerous position to be in. 

His normally small roots reacted to the fright, growing just a bit in size to curl around Frisk's wrist and interlace with their fingers, trembling throughout. He gasped a little, feeling a finger stroke a part curled around it. Looking up, he was greeted by the warm, patient smile they always reserved for him. Flowey huffed and set his gaze upon the hole, but he could feel even the base of his petals quickly transitioning to bright red.

The flower remained silent while Frisk carefully placed him in the hole, covering the roots up with soil in just the way he always demanded. Once all filled up again, they patted the pile a few times, signaling a job well done. Flowey sighed and closed his eyes, easing up his mind just enough to let his roots grab on again. From this moment, the Surface was his playground once again. He could have traveled anywhere, to any county or region far and wide. The freedom was quite enticing, yet he had little inclination to leave his current abode, especially now.

His thoughts were cut off just before threading into philosophical musings, by the harsh, unmistakable sound of masking tape. He glanced up, only to see Frisk bite the end off a string of tape and fasted their phone to the now-vacant flowerpot.

"Frisk? What are you doing?" Flowey asked.

Frisk grinned and set the pot down again. They imitated a phone call briefly, assuring him to call if he needed anything.

"What? Oh no, no way, forget it!" he protested. "Frisk, that's your phone! Do you have any idea what trouble you'll be in, if you get a call from Toriel and I pick up instead?"

Frisk extended their arms with a purposely sheepish grin. It was a trick question, since they often handed Flowey the phone anyway when otherwise occupied.

"Come on, just take the stupid phone!" he continued to moan, groan and argue, even though he knew it would be fruitless. There was a significant gap of determination between them, after all. "Really, I'll be fine. It's not like I can't handle being alone."

Flowey was a bit taken aback when Frisk leaned down all of a sudden and reached out for him. He braced for impact, even though he firmly believe he hadn't done anything wrong this time around. Rather than give a slight pull, like usual when he got a little too mouthy for his own good, they gave the closest petal a kind stroke. Just enough to make him feel the gentleness of the touch.

"Not alone." Frisk said. Flowey blinked, surprised to hear them speak. Even in private, it was never easy to pry words out of them. "Never alone."

He flashed red again and pulled his petals inwards, trying to hide from the human's beaming smile. Sometimes he really wished his soulless existence could have taken the sense of shame as well, so he wouldn't constantly be blindsided by moments like this. He really didn't know how to react to them without making a fool out of himself.

"You idiot..." he mumbled, voice muffled by the barrier of petals. "Go. You're late from school."

He uncovered an eye, just to see the child gasp and jump to their feet again, having forgotten about such simple things as being on time. They quickly put all their things away and bolted off, just about spinning around every few seconds to wave. Flowey raised a leaf to wave back, but they were fast out of sight.

Once alone, he looked around, carefully checking if there was anyone nearby. As soon as he confirmed he really was by his own, Flowey let out the loudest possible groan he could muster, releasing all the pent-up frustration from yesterday. Ever since his revelation, things really weren't going his way in the least bit. From one failure to the next, he was forced to realize he might have bit off more than he could chew. This whole 'love' business was much more intricate than he previously wanted to admit and were forcing his metaphorical hand to seek some reliable guidance. Guidance he was about to receive just now.

And it was almost time, too.

Flowey peeked around with great interest, just waiting for the first sign. He didn't have to wait long, as after just a mere minute or two, a faint disturbance reached his roots. The earth itself was rumbling, heralding the arrival of the one who could potentially answer all of his questions and show him the right path to take. A true oracle; wise beyond measure and yet still approachable with even the most meager of questions.

The rumbling increased in strength, as their soon-to-be confidante got closer and closer with each second. Flowey grinned, still looking around with keen interest and baited breath, just to catch the first glimpse of them. Some may have doubted the true power and knowledge of this benefactor, but he knew better than to trust even a single word of disbelief.

Finally, the nearby sandbox shook hard, signaling the imminent emergence.

"And he rises!" Flowey called out, with a significant amount of amusement in his voice. "Forged in fire and lava deep within the mountain, tempered and hardened by cold and snow, he rises from the depths as a figure of virtue!"

A figure did indeed rise from the sandbox, tall and lithe with not a hint of difficulty in his motions, despite however long he may have spent in confinement. His brief prison tried keeping him restained at first, only to slowly give in to the inevitable.

"Let the sun shine upon the hero gracing us with his mighty presence!" Flowey continued to gleefully boast, while the receding sand all but revealed the identity of his trusted ally. "With nothing, but bravery in his heart, spaghetti on his mind and a limitless supply of bones at his disposal, let us sing praises of his fame and exploits! May we all welcome, the paragon to guide us all: the Great Papyrus!"

Papyrus stood bright and strong, arms crossed in a proud stance. He nodded to the call of his name, at least half a bucket's worth of sand pouring from his eye sockets and large grin. None of that seemed to bother him though, as he merely opened his mouth and despite all gravelly obstructions, announced his presence to Flowey and whoever might have strolled by this magnificent scene since:

"NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

No more failures. No more embarrassment.

Frisk's love interest was now in the best of hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This can only end well. Then again, Papyrus has already overseen one pair get together, so his expertise should not be discounted. Let's see if the Cool Guy can help our Jerk Flower improve his charisma?
> 
> Thoughts/critiques/spaghetti recipes more than welcome by my Tumblr, http://milkasingularity.tumblr.com/
> 
> Take good care of your flowers! They'll love you back in return!


	4. Working On It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey's new mentor has a few concerns.

The move to the Surface hasn't exactly been the smoothest endeavor, though thankfully it did not catch monster-kind by surprise. Even with their brightest hopes and kindest dreams, most of them knew there would be at the very least some minor issues with re-emerging into a world that once sought to imprison them. Thankfully, open conflicts were very few and far between, usually stemming from misunderstandings, rather than actual malice. It seemed as though despite the war that separated the two species for the longest time, humans were willing to accept the return of monsters. Perhaps because they represented the magic that has long faded into myth and obscurity, leaving behind a constantly gnawing absence.

It was precisely this situation that made Grillby's bar such a perfect melting pot.

Most monsters had no intentions of leaving their chosen professions behind, despite their changed surroundings. Grillby was one such creature of habit and as soon as they were granted the right to own and rent property, he set out to re-create his beloved establishment. Help came in the form of just about every one of his most enduring bar-goers, whether through materials or good old manual labor. A few months and a lost bet over naming rights later, 'Grillby's Reheated' was open for business, ready to serve customers new and old.

And just as before, his patrons were a diverse and fascinating bunch.

"I spent the whole night crushed under ice! I thought I was going to shrivel up! Even worse, for all I know, they probably think I have some kind of tropical plant-disease!"

Flowey huffed and puffed, his head sinking low in a highly theatrical motion. He remained still in this position for a few seconds, before perking up again to recharge. Biting down on the mouth of the elaborate multi-straw construction reaching down to him like a periscope, he drank another few gulps of their shared milkshake, barely making a dent in the fishbowl-sized portion.

"So yeah... this is all happening right now." he said, straw still in mouth, peeking at his companion.

Papyrus was seemingly lost in evaluating the milkshake's taste through the colorful swirly straw, not even responding at first. He may have just been in thought, his expression one of delightful serenity. By the time he finally released the straw, Flowey could almost feel his plant fluids boil. Patience was still a virtue that very much eluded him.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked, voice raised slightly higher than intended. A couple of patrons, both human and monster glanced in their direction, but they quickly returned to their own affairs. Loud noises at Grillby's Reheated weren't exactly uncommon anyway.

"SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE REALLY STUMBLED INTO A MESS THIS TIME." Papyrus spoke up, his gaze locking onto Flowey's face. Maybe it was the skeletal eyes, but even with his jovial nature, the skeleton could be rather difficult to properly read. "EVEN MORE THAN USUAL."

"Yes, and that's why I wanted to see you. You got Alphys and Undyne sorted out. You know these things much better than I do. I need your h-" Flowey nearly bit his tongue even without really intending to, his petals growing a darker shade of yellow at the base. The words refused to come out, unless he was just about heaving. "I need you he-heeee-help."

He was nearly a tulip by the time he finished. Even though he was fully aware of his limitations, it still wasn't easy for him to ask for help from anyone who wasn't Frisk. And even then, it took him quite some time before he was comfortable enough to allow the human for any.

"YOU GIVE ME TOO MUCH CREDIT."

"I know you for the sneaky little matchmaker that you are! Now throw me a bone or something!

Papyrus frowned ever-so-slightly to the bottom-shelf joke.

"HAVE YOU TALKED TO FRISK ABOUT THIS?"

"Talk to them? Are you crazy?" the flower huffed, reeling around in his pot out of helpless frustration. "I can't just go up to them about something like this! They'll think I'm weird! Awkward! Creepy even!"

"AND YOU ACTUALLY ARE-?"

"All of those, but that's not the point here!"

The growing smile on Papyrus' face had not gone unnoticed by the flower. On the one leaf, there were precious few things Flowey despised more than people having a laugh at his expense, but on the other, the skeleton was rarely one to do so. It was one of the reasons why Flowey at the very least tolerated his presence.

"ALRIGHT THEN, MOVING ON!" he announced, boney finger jumping from one swirl of the crazy straw to the next. "SO YOU ALREADY HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION?"

"Y-yeah, let's call it that." Flowey's stem trembled, a bit, imitating a shrug. The blush from before remained, as well as the need to force the words out. There would always be a slight discomfort from being honest. "But I wouldn't mind some pointers..."

Papyrus nodded, his face one of understanding and compassion. Both emotions were very close to the dreaded 'pity', but Flowey retained his composure. After all, this was Papyrus: safe and trustworthy, so much more so than his loathsome brother.

"FEAR NOT! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE TRAINED JUST AS MUCH TO BE A GUARD OF HEARTS, AS OF ROYALS!" he assured. 

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." Flowey allowed himself the very shadow of a smile.

A line like that from anyone else would have spun Flowey into either annoyance or laughter, but with Papyrus, there was a fair bit of chance he actually meant it. He was an endless repository of skills, though the level of expertise he showed at each varied greatly from case to case.

"I KNOW THAT THIS MUST BE A DIFFICULT CONUNDRUM." the skeleton continued, gently flicking his wrist, releasing some leftover sand into the air. "ESPECIALLY IN YOUR POSITION."

There was the dig. Right there. Or at least, he considered it such. It was a softball though, nothing too biting. Papyrus may yet leave the diner alive.

"AND WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT FRISK, EITHER." he kept going, Flowey absentmindedly nodding to his words. "POOR HUMAN WAS HEARTBROKEN AFTER OUR DATE, EVEN AS I TRIED TO GENTLY LET THEM OFF. WE'LL NEED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL WITH YOU."

Oh no.

"THEY'RE STRONG, BUT THINGS LIKE THIS ARE STILL VERY HEAVY AND--"

"Wait, I think you misunderstood." Flowey hastily cut in, shaking his head. Papyrus stopped and tilted his head in confusion. He reached for the straw and took a careful, slow sip. "I don't want to let them off. I wanna date Frisk."

Papyrus froze up.

The line of milkshake steadily trickled down the straw as the skeleton stopped sipping, though it remained in his mouth for a few more seconds. He sat upright in his chair, his expression nowhere near as confident as it had been until now. In fact, his fidgeting, fuddling with the folds of his decidedly more mundane clothes, showed a much different emotion at work here. For once, the flower caught Papyrus with something he was less than certain about.

"FLOWEY,"

Something told him he absolutely wouldn't like what the monster said next.

"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE ABOUT THIS?"

Flowey almost immediately ducked from Papyrus' gaze. Not only did he feel the creeping wave of embarrassment washing over him, but there was something in his entire demeanor that made him nervous. All that mental preparation for whatever the skeleton might say suddenly meant very little, once he was truly faced with that look. It only now occurred to him just how big of a mistake this was in the first place. He shouldn't have bothered at all.

"Why?" his voice was just about corrosive, threatening to eat through Papyrus' bones like paper.

"YOU KNOW WHY." His voice was strong. Kind and strong, quite possibly the combination that served to anger him the most right now.

"No, why don't you enlighten me?" he spat. He knew his face was twisting into one of the more threatening expressions he once used to try and scare Frisk into submission, but couldn't care less. He was losing control rapidly, the previously tame vines he used to steady the straw increasing in size, while sprouting a pattern of thorns. "Is it because I'm a flower? Or because I'm not always nice like the rest of you idiots? Or is it because I'm soulless? Or maybe it's something else? Well, don't keep me waiting, I'm sure it's a pretty long list, so let's hear it!"

The patron's nearby were started to pay attention, turning their heads towards the skeleton, the flowerpot and it's rather upset tenant. Flowey recognized at least some of those looks. Not by their owners, but just the general expression. Confusion, worry, perhaps even a little bit of fear, all of ones he knew quite well. He twisted left and right, trying to meet their gazes one by one, all the while the sickly feeling rumbled through his body. He was so close, so very close to just wiping those stupid looks off their faces, eavesdropping on matters that were of no concern to them.

It would be so simple. So easy to just let go.

Flowey flinched only once he heard a couple of light, yet oddly loud taps. He turned to face the noise, now-thorny vines grazing the otherwise neatly polished table surface. His gaze found only Papyrus though, still looking calm as ever. He tapped a finger against the table a few more times, with a calm rhythm and surprising loudness. The noise and focus on the motion lulled Flowey into steadily blocking out the rest of the bar. The shame and embarrassment quickly caught him by the stem and after a deep sigh, his useful appendages and occasional weapons soon retreated into the soil that spawned them.

The temptation to follow their example was sizable, to the point where he halfway sank into the pot. If Frisk had been here to witness this little outburst, he would never hear the end of it. Fortunately, his table partner was instead, Papyrus. Unfortunately, his table partner was instead, Papyrus. The difference was significant, but considering the conversation that led them to this point, just as bad, if not more so. He muttered something that could perhaps even be mistaken for an apology, but more akin to common gibberish.

"I'M NOT ANSWERING THAT QUESTION." Papyrus spoke up again. "BUT I'M A BIT CONCERNED."

He wasn't even going to address the volatile temper burst Flowey just had. It was comforting, but also amplified his sense of guilt. If that was the monster's intention, it was doing the job wonderfully. He just mumbled something incomprehensible again. It was the only thing he could muster, next to the sickly feeling coming back to haunt him.

"YOU TWO ARE SOME OF MY BESTEST FRIENDS. FRISK IS MY BEST HUMAN FRIEND AND YOU'RE MY BEST FLOWER FRIEND." he said, briefly rubbing his chin as he carefully picked the right words. "I ALSO KNOW YOU TWO ARE VERY CLOSE FRIENDS, SO I'M SURE YOU'D MAKE A WONDERFUL PAIR."

Heat traveled into his petals once again.

"AND AS A MUTUAL FRIEND, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP!" Papyrus beamed, only for his expression to take a turn for serious. "ALAS, A HEART ISN'T LIKE A SOUL. MONSTER FOOD WON'T MEND A CRACK AND SO BEFORE I OFFER ASSISTANCE, BEFORE I DO ANYTHING, I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT IT."

He extended both arms, almost like he was reaching for non-existent hands to hold. Flowey found himself shuddering a bit, despite everything. This conversation was quickly becoming much more serious than what he would have preferred, almost ridiculously so. Flowey's face steadily morphed from guilt-filled anxiety to an ever-growing confusion.

"WHILE FRISK IS FULL OF LOVE, THEY'RE ALSO DELICATE AND FRAGILE. AND WHILE YOU DO CARE FOR THEM, YOU CAN ALSO BE RASH AND IMPULSIVE. YOU COULD MAKE THIS WORK, IF YOU REALLY WANT IT TO. HOWEVER, I HAVE TO KNOW YOU'RE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY AND NOT JUST A PASSING INTEREST. IF IT IS, THAT'S ALSO FINE, I'M NOT JUDGING! BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT MY HELP TO UNRAVEL THE GREAT PUZZLE OF LOVE, I HAVE TO KNOW YOU'RE DETERMINED ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT."

"W-when did you get all verbose like this?" the flower perked up again, still tilting his head to the uncharacteristically majestic speech.

"HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT IS FULL OF THESE WEIRDLY SERIOUS SPEECHES, ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY LOUD MUSICAL STINGS, GASPS AND CLOSEUPS." the skeleton admitted. His serious demeanor was crumbling before his very eyes.

"Well, I don't see any cameras or orchestras..."

"BUT I CAN DO THE GASP!"

With that, the skeleton leaned back and gasped loudly, even covering part of his mouth for greater effect. Flowey's mouth quivered for a moment, but even as he almost tried to stuff a leaf into his mouth, he couldn't repress a loud snort. His stem started shaking as well and before long, he and Papyrus both dropped any attempt at trying to hold their laughter at bay. It was both refreshing and relaxing to have a giggle over something as silly as this.

The other patrons were once again throwing them awkward glances, though this time mostly because they were highly curious why these pair of lunatics just couldn't stop giggling, right after one of them very nearly blew a fuse. The only one unfazed by the events was Grillby, silently alternating between serving frontline patrons and cleaning glasses. The long years of doing this job taught him there were precious few things worth raising a brow about and this really wasn't one of them. 

It took several minutes, before either of them recovered enough to look at the other without falling right back into laughter. They descended upon the milkshake again like calcium-deficient locusts, the cold and delightfully sweet drink reinvigorating both of them. Even with his dislike for greasy food and the general atmosphere of Grillby's, Papyrus couldn't deny that the fire monster knew exactly how to make a great milkshake.

"So, what should I do?" Flowey picked up the conversation again, once sufficiently refreshed by their shared beverage.

Papyrus was just finishing up his last sip, but upon looking up, his expression turned as serious as a crazy straw could possibly allow for. Flowey tilted his head for a moment, only to nod as he caught on. Overly wordy or not, the skeleton really did mean what he said.

"I NEED YOUR ANSWER, FIRST." he said. "DO YOU REALLY MEAN TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS?"

He lightly bit down on the bottom of his mouth, contrasting thoughts running through his head. On one hand, pursuing this hunch was depressingly moot. He couldn't love, there was no way around that, even with the best intentions. For the reason above all else, it would have been fine, understandable even, if he chose not to bother and just live life as he had until now; annoyed at the world with choice moments of fun here and there. No one would have scolded him for it, no one would have batted an eye. It would have been just like any other time, toying with someone for his own amusement and then when he's grown bored, reset and move on in the next direction.

Except there was no going back now. Frisk held that power and was fully intent on never using it again. They locked him permanently in the present, with all the up- and downsides of that. It was tempting to just keep going, to be the gloomy flower always clinging to or slapping away the very determined human who was willing to brave anything and give him a semblance of hope in the future.

Flowey trembled again, for reasons even he couldn't really tell. Every logical thought pointed towards the idea that this was a fool's gamble, that it would only end with either or both of them hurt. And yet, he couldn't simply roll over and accept it. Not again. Not anymore. He had been given too much, and gave back far too little. Maybe it was time to turn that around. 

Determination coursed through him with a familiar burning sensation, one he had forgotten or ignored until now. Perhaps that would be enough.

"Yes." he said finally, one great weight lifted off his being, only to be replaced by a different kind of the same volume. "I want to make this work. I want to date Frisk. Can you help me?"

Once more, Papyrus set the straw aside and let his familiar smile spread all over. The sight filled Flowey with determination, followed immediately by confusion as he stood up, and utter despair once he opened his mouth.

"I, PAPYRUS THE GREAT-"

Sometimes, it really paid off to be a plant with proper reflexes. The very moment the skeleton's voice filled the room, a pair of Flowey's vines were conjured to life, grasping onto Papyrus' shoulders in a desperate attempt to pull him back down to his seat.

"-SWEAR I'LL HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST FOR LOVE-"

Flowey made a mental note to talk to him about having a proper indoor voice, one of these days. The magical plant fiber thickened and pulled harder, only to find completely unnecessary and really unwanted defiance.

"-AND GUIDE YOU TO YOUR FIRST LOVE-FILLED KISS!"

Papyrus could only shout the last few words to himself, voice muffled by his signature scarf as Flowey's summoned appendage fastened it around his mouth. He was teeming with anger, but composed himself through some miraculous method while he sat down.

"Don't ever do that again." he grumbled, resembling a rose or tulip more than anything. "But thanks..."

He merely let out a soft chuckle from seeing Flowey get so anxious already. While his reactions may have been harsh, his bashfulness was more than enough additional proof.

"WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO." he said, already drawing up a lesson plan, with behavioral improvements quickly earning the top spot. "A LOT OF TRAINING, A LOT OF PLANNING AND A LOT OF HARD WORK!"

Flowey merely nodded in response, having expected just as much. Neither of those were particularly his favorite things in the world, but tough love demanded sacrifices. He would get over it. A tremble ran though his stem once more.

"Okay, seriously, what's up with this?" he exclaimed, slipping right back into his comfortably grouchier state of mind.

His roots certainly didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary, which meant the culprit had to be something or someone else. Flowey gave up on the steadily vanishing milkshake and instead careened around, scanning the table. He quickly found the source of all the uncomfortable shaking that's been plaguing his stay at Grillby's, although the reveal merely made him quiver for real. Never before has an upside-down number upset him so much.

It was a phone. Frisk's phone.

A pair of thorny vines quickly tore the tape off and raised the phone to Flowey's eye-level. There were several missed calls, spanning across the past hour at least. He swallowed, very clumsily checking the few texts that were to be expected at this point. They were no more detailed as Frisk's regular level of conversation; just a crude smiley that grew steadily more annoyed each time.

"Oh no." Flowey whined, scrolling through the damning mix of missed calls and messages. "How did I forget about this?"

"I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT, TOO." Papyrus said. He sipped a little more of the milkshake, watching it course through the silly straw with mild amusement.

"Well I just... wait." he peeked out from behind the phone, several levels of shock washing over his face rapidly. "You noticed?"

"OF COURSE! AFTER THE FIRST OR SECOND, I THINK." Papyrus either didn't notice, or didn't acknowledge how much of a wrong answer that was.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Flowey's rage was quickly reaching the optimal boiling point.

"A LOT OF TRAINING, REMEMBER?" he said, his proud grin spread wide. "AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED! YOUR FIRST LESSON IS AWARENESS."

Flowey stared at him at the other end of the table. Although mouth a bit agape and trying to form the right words, he slowly put the phone down. By the time he looked up once more, there were slightly different emotions at play inside.

On some days, he really missed the soothing power of indiscriminate murder and destruction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Although this project was originally going to be one of rapid, small updates, work and other such life-related things have forced me to stay off for a longer time than I had hoped for. Still, I really wanted to continue this story and slowly-slowly put together this chapter, aiming for a slightly larger volume in return. I love this weird little setup far too much to let go of it.
> 
> Now, with a slightly more relaxed workload, this fic will be moving into a **TWICE A WEEK** update format! I'll try my best to stick to it and hope that new and old readers both will find things to enjoy here.
> 
> Take care, dear readers!


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